Sun TV Network Limited has approached the Madras High Court against the grant of ‘A’ certificates by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to Rajinikanth-starrer Coolie, thereby making it impermissible for these under 18 years of age to observe the film in cinema theatres.
Justice T.V. Thamilselvi on Tuesday (August 19, 2025) held as maintainable a civil miscellaneous enchantment filed by the manufacturing agency against the CBFC’s resolution and directed the High Court Registry to quantity the case and checklist it for admission earlier than her on Wednesday (August 20).
The High Court Registry had doubted the maintainability of the enchantment and listed the unnumbered case earlier than the choose on Tuesday for taking a name on the matter. Central authorities senior panel counsel A. Kumaraguru, too, contended that the enchantment was not maintainable.
However, senior counsel J. Ravindran, assisted by M. Sneha, satisfied the court docket that the denial of U/A certificates to the film by the CBFC might be challenged earlier than the High Court by method of a civil enchantment since a tribunal, constituted beneath the Cinematograph Act, 1952, had been abolished.
The senior counsel identified that Section 5C of the Cinematograph Act states that any one that applies for certificates in respect of a movie and aggrieved against the issuance of a specific certificates may file an enchantment earlier than the tribunal constituted beneath the Act inside a interval of 30 days.
He additionally introduced it to the discover of the choose that as per the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021, appeals might be filed immediately earlier than the High Court, if the tribunal involved had been abolished. Concurring together with his submissions, the choose agreed to listen to the enchantment on Wednesday after it was numbered.
In its grounds of enchantment, the manufacturing agency stated it had produced Coolie with a view to have fun Mr. Rajinikanth’s completion of 50 years within the movie business and the film had grow to be a “mega blockbuster” owing to its pan-India star-cast comprising Nagarjuna Akkineni, Aamir Khan and others.
Stating that it had utilized for CBFC certification for the film on July 28, the manufacturing agency stated it was shocked to obtain an e-mail from the board on July 31, stating that the screening committee had discovered the film to be celebrating violence and subsequently, agreed to concern solely a ‘A’ certificates. When the appellant requested for a assessment by the revising committee, the latter, too, ended up issuing solely an ‘A’ certificates on August 4. Since the film needed to be launched on August 14 owing to the reserving of theatres worldwide, the producers selected to launch it after which problem the certification.
Stating that Rajinikanth has followers slicing throughout age teams around the globe and males, ladies and kids have been eagerly ready for the discharge of Coolie with a view to have fun the 50 years of his cinematic journey, the appellant stated all these under 18 years of age had now been disadvantaged of an opportunity to participate within the celebration.
The manufacturing agency additionally instructed the court docket that the CBFC had issued U/A certificates for films comparable to Yash-starrer KGF and Vijay-starrer Beast, however had surprisingly chosen to concern a ‘A’ certificates for Coolie, although it doesn’t include as a lot violence as the opposite two films.
